Can anyone help me start up?

Hi there, im looking for some help and guidance from someone who would like to help me through this process. I would like to start an im home childcare with 2 or 3 children. i have a 4 month old son and have to be home with him so i thought it would be a good idea to start off small. i live with my mother and 3 siblings who will all be out of the house during the day and so it would be a perfect time for watching children. I have a living room and part of the kitchen to use for activities and small classroom type setting. can anyone direct me as to what to do first?
All help is appricaited :o

First of all, those of us on this forum are doing this as our livlihood, our jobs, and we have had to change our whole lives/living situation to take on our business of home daycare.
If you only have access to a livingroom and part of the kitchen then that is not enough. Children need safe, clean playing areas including bathrooms, napping areas, backyard/outdoor space.
When parents interview you for daycare, they will want to see the space their kids will be spending their days. They are also most likely looking for long-term daycare, not just for a few months. Are you sure you can commit to turinging your mothers house into a playroom for years to come? Or is this just an idea that came to mind, possibly without thinking it through?

Also, you need to consider what age group of kids you want to take in. If you are looking at young ones (9months-18months) remember that they will need about 3 hours of napping time per day. Do you have space to put 3 napping kids seperately? And since they would need strollers for walks, do you have a double stroller? Highchairs for feeding? The older ones may not need to nap for that long during the day, but may require a booster seat instead of highchair, and plenty more space to run and play. Outdoor time is essential for the older kids to burn off their energy.
Snacks and feeding- 2 snacks a healthy lunch everyday. plus homo milk and sippy cups. These are all things you would need to make and stock up on.
Don't take the 'daycare thing' lightly. There is more to it than just 'watching children'. Forget the classroom setting, you first need to make sure that you are equipped for the other essentials kids need, naps, meals, play space indoors/outdoors,....
A first aid course is absolutly essential if you are watching kids in any way. What would you do if a child choked in your care??
Maybe evening/weekend babysitting (at your house or theirs) is more something that is possible giving your living situation. It sounds a little crowded and having other people's kids in the house is only going to add to the stuff!! Have you discussed this with your siblings and mother? Kids tend to ruin couches/walls/floors and anything else within reach.
Good Luck

Have a contract, policy, rates, set your hours. Get pay in advance for the week and if you want collect a last week deposit.

Thank you for your posts, I do have the whole house to work with, I am just simply devoting those areas to children alone, so those will be the most childprof rooms. I am aware of what it will take, i was in childcare full time for 4 years prior to having my son and also have supervisor expereince. I just need some help as to what to do first when it comes to home childcare.
Does anyone think that parents will have problems with the fact i am living with my mother and siblings? I have references but i am worried parents will feel i am too young to be a caregiver. I am 25 but am a mother of 1 and have basically raised my 4 singlings because i am the oldest. All comments are welcome. Im sure others who are coming on this site may have similair questions.

Some will have a problem and some won't. Just be upfront with parents who lives in the house. I think what is important to parents is what you offer during the day. Regarding age it will be a plus you have experience in childcare.
Good luck

Is everyone else in the house prepared for the mess and the noise? When a child first starts they may scream for hours at a time, sometimes even the whole day. Think about how your mother and siblings would feel about that (especially if it starts at 7 or 8am). You also want to look into insurance for your home and your car if you would be transporting the children. Find a good accountant, childproof anything that could be reachable for the children, and organize things so that you have somewhere to put coats and boots, crafts to take home, diapers, wipes, extra clothes, play dough, craft materials, etc.

If you are unsure about how your situation will play out and the setup, you might want to contact a licensed agency and have them come and do an assessment. They will help you determine what needs to be changed, removed or added, and they will help you with parents. It won't be the same as working privately because you would be paying them a portion of your earnings for the agency help but it might be a good way to get started until you feel more comfortable with your location.

Everyone has had some good advice for you, esp KingstonMom and playfelt. I would, in particular, think about the others living in the home with you. You don't specify their ages, but the fact is, on some days those people will be home at the same time as the kids. Given your childcare experience, you may feel able to handle/deal with the kids, but they may not. On the other hand, if you have teenage siblings, they may be a great source of (supervised) extra help for you.
Some parents may not be okay with it, but most of them will be looking more towards whether the set up is correct for a childcare environment, do they feel you will be providing the care and activities etc that they want for their kids, are they comfortable with YOUR ability to care for thier children and so on. Personally we have a lot of family in and out and around our home, and the parents are aware of this and ok with it.
If you can work with an agency it would probably make for a smoother transition into this business. They will be able to give you an itemized list of what you will need, and assess the situation/ make any recommendations necessary. Things like baby gates, and other objects for older kids that you may not have yet, as your baby is still little.
Good luck with what you decide!

I think your starting point needs to your province guidelines. Where are you located? For example BC has a licensing system and another for not licensed. This was my starting point as I knew I'd need to be licensed in order to make an affordable income for my family. From there the rules, environment, policies, rates, etc etc where fairly laid out for me through them. Good luck and as long as everyone in the house is on board I don't see why you couldn't make it work.